Dilwale Critics Review

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Dilwale has released worldwide and the D-day has finally arrived when all you viewers can see this what this extremely hyped movie is all about. This Rohit Shetty directorial has been making news from day one, from casting Shahrukh Khan as main lead, to bringing back SRK-Kajol together after a huge gap of 5 years and finally its’ big clash with Bajirao Mastani.

Kajol shines in the first half when she simply comes alive on the big silver screen with her performance and mesmerizing beauty! The actress not only stuns you with her beauty but also shocks you with a major twist that you least saw it coming. Shahrukh Khan on the other hand, shines in the second half when he displays multiple shades in his character. His rough look is simply super sexy and he enthralls us with intense romance, perfect comic timing and rugged action moves.

Dilwale is great one time watch! A paisa vasool entertainer that witnessed whistles in the theater throughout! Viewers were seen clapping when the movie ended which shows that Dilwale may not be an iconic classic like Bajirao Mastani but SRK and cast will entertain you, especially if you are a Shahrukh Khan fan!

After their last outing in Chennai Express, I kind of had an inkling of what Rohit Shetty and Shah Rukh Khan were going to offer in Dilwale. Just another typical run-of-the mill entertainer. While Chennai Express didn’t leave me disappointed, it didn’t leave me in awe either. But Dilwale still does manage to look a lot more appealing from the promos, songs and the trailer. And two and a half hours later, I came out completely satisfied.

The direction by Shetty is awesome, to put it simply. His vision and the scale of the film is insurmountable by any other entertainer in this genre. There are no compromises on budgets and it reflects on the film.

The comedy element in the film is its strength. All in all, Dilwale was a great joyride with plenty to watch out for. Energetic youth in the form of Varun-Kriti. And of course, the enigmatic SRK-Kajol! Each of these elements can make you want to watch the film by themselves. And when put together, Dilwale is the great entertaining result! Watch it, as by Rohit Shetty’s standards, it’s his most complete and entertaining film!

Meera and Raj belong to two warring Mafia families operating in Bulgaria. There’s Raj, the adopted son of an India Mafia gang lord, brandishing guns and stealing trunks of gold from his opponents. He’s a mean machine in a leather jacket, but turns soft after he runs into Meera. What follows is a squeaky clean courtship comprising dinner dates with flowers, ice-creams, candlelight dinner … the works. It’s undoubtedly corny, but credit is due to Khan and Kajol for injecting it with believability. Just when you think that the movie is heading south, there’s an interesting twist that gives Kajol a chance to shine. She nails it. While Kajol stands out in the first half, the second half is dominated ably by Khan. Playing a vanquished, tortured lover who even sheds a tear is a space that Khan owns. His transformation from a gangster to a prosperous mechanic isn’t entirely plausible, but when did facts stand in the way of a Bollywood love story?

Actors Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon play a young couple in love. Their conflicts aren’t as complicated as their elder siblings — Raj and Meera — which is a good thing. Two angst-ridden love stories in one film would have been intolerable.

Verdict:

Watch this only if you have a thing for watching Kajol and Khan on the silver screen.

The plot, if you can call it that is simple – boy meets girl and falls madly in lovely; a misunderstanding separates them; years later they meet up when their siblings fall in love (and behave like soul mates despite the fact they have known each other for probably less than 24 hours).

The maverick director who has given us hits like Singham, Chennai Express and the Golmaal series (yes, we are told the juvenile series is a hit with the ‘masses’) once again demonstrates that when it comes to crowd-pleasing tactics, no one does it better.

Kajol looks like a dream and showcases her usual range, though in the first half she does tend to go a bit over the top.

Beneath the pointlessly loud, high-octane action sequences and the absurd humour that packages ‘Diwale’ into a brand of cinema like no other, lies the story of a fanboy as he cheekily pays tribute to Bollywood’s much celebrated couple. He borrows dialogues, moments and storyline from their classics, and weaves it into his movie, turning his ‘Diwale’ into a gushing scrapbook celebrating Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol’s glorious cinematic journey.

Shah Rukh, with stubble or without, sleepwalks through his career’s seventh Raj. Apart from flaunting his signature pose (with arms wide open), which he allows Varun Dhawan and Johnny Lever to borrow, he spends much of his screen time, driving fast cars, breaking bones and flashing his dimples. His every move will undoubtedly generate the whistles and the applause, but doesn’t merit his acting acumen. Kajol too looks absolutely stunning, but her Meera isn’t one that requires her to flex her acting chops. She’s evidently had lots of fun on the set, gleefully playing with guns, flaunting her heels and spinning the wheels, without much care for performance or character sketch.

It’s a good thing Rohit hands us a disclaimer about his style of moviemaking, allowing the non-fans to step away, but for the others, it would be crucial to carry along earplugs because you just can’t do.

In 2004, Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment produced a tale of two (step)-brothers, Main Hoon Naa. After a decade, it tells another story of two brothers, but with a twist that is likely to leave you startled.
Such a hyped film needs more than best cinematic minds to please the fans, and that is where Dilwale scores. It is a perfect concoction of romance, action and comedy that Hindi film viewers generally look forward to. Even though it does not have the engaging storyline of Om Shanti Om, it is just about as, or even more entertaining, than Happy New Year.

Performances make the film imminently watchable. SRK, as Raj, does what he does best — romances his leading lady with ease, beats the hell out of his rivals while playing the ideal brother to Varun. Of course, how can there be another Dilwale sans the leading lady of the original? Kajol, as effortlessly spontaneous as ever, has a relatively shorter role than what you would have expected. Varun Dhawan’s comic timing will make you sit back and take note. Kriti Sanon does a reasonably good job of her role. The other members of the cast are all armed with funny scenes and dialogues. One of the best things about the film is that all the other characters are fleshed out to keep the comic element up. It may sound a little audacious but Rohit Shetty’s favourite Sanjay Mishra, who plays a buyer of stolen goods, is even funnier than the amazing Johnny Lever.

If entertainment is why you go to the theatres, then Dilwale will not disappoint you. The ending, however, is likely to receive applause only from the die-hard SRK fans. In all, it is a great family film with a comical spin on the timeless, Romeo-Julietesque love stories. Watch Dilwale, you won’t regret!